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A Short Play I Wrote

(D is seen walking down the sidewalk only to stop to light a cigarette. After several failed attempts a man appears.)

Man 1: Is something troubling you, my child?

D: Yeah, this thing does not seem to be working. Do you have a light?

Man 1: As a matter of fact I do, but whether you accept it is up to you.

D: Well then just give it to me then, I am dying over here.

Man 1: Indeed, you are dying; it shows to your very core.

D:(Looking a bit perplexed.) Yeah…I guess. So can you give me your light now, I need it more than you could ever imagine.

Man 1: I seriously doubt that.

D: Doubt what?

Man 1: That I could not ever imagine how much you need my light, my child.

D:(Getting annoyed.) Are you going to give me your light or what?

Man 1: Will you accept my light if I give it to you?

D: Yes already!

Man 1: Then believe in Me, Jesus, the Son of God, as your Savior and you will never be without a light again.

D:(More confused than angry.) What are you talking about?

Jesus: It says in the Holy Scriptures that, “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.” So, “While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." I will make you become reborn, my beloved one, no longer will you walk in darkness. I will bring meaning into your life.

D:(Uses cigarette as a pointer.) There is no meaning to life and the meaning you want to give me is a prime example of bad faith, something I do not wish to have any part of. Now get the hell out of my face, your “light” is not the light I want or need.

Jesus: What do you believe you need then?

(D ignores Jesus’s question and shakes his head while trying again to light his cigarette.)

Jesus:(Jesus begins to walk past D.) “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.” (Exits Jesus)

(As D is still trying to light his cigarette a hand can be seen tapping his shoulder.)

D:(Angrily) I told you to get the hell out of my face! Do you want to get hurt?

Man 2: Pardon me, but I believe you have me mistaken for someone else.

D:(Turning around.) Oh, I thought you were this one guy, God, Jesus, or whatever.

Man 2: And you told this Jesus to get the hell out of your face?

D: Yes.

Man 2: Why did you become so angry with him?

D:Because he wouldn’t give me the light I needed. (D points to his cigarette.)

Man 2: I see. Even so, I do not think getting that angry or staying that angry for that matter is the best course of action.

D:(Looking annoyed.) You weren’t here; you don’t even know what really happened.

Man 2: Perhaps not, but I do know that, “Anger is the enemy of non-violence and pride is a monster that swallows it up.” My friend, “Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong."

D:(With a sigh.) Again you weren’t here.

Man 2: And again, that may be so, but even if I was not here when you met Jesus, do you really think that I, Gandhi, would not know of Him? “Jesus occupies in my heart…[His] suffering is a factor in the composition of my un-dying faith in non-violence. What then does Jesus mean to me? To me, He was one of the greatest teachers humanity has ever had."

D: Wait, you are telling me that you believe in all that tripe about Him being the One true light of the world?

Gandhi: What I believe in, my friend, “[Is] the fundamental Truth of all the great religions of the world. I believe that they are all God given. I came to the conclusion long ago... that all religions were true and also that all had some error in them.”

D: Oh you are full of crap too; religion is the opiate of all civilizations and societies, a delusion to quell the anxiety of living. You are just making it worse by vindicating them all one way or another. Life has no meaning, there is no such thing as absolute truth, Jesus does not have the light I need and you are living in a dream world. Just go, Gandhi, you are as annoying as Jesus. (D starts to light his cigarette again.)

Gandhi:(As he walks past D he points to D’s cigarette.) “If patience is worth anything, it must endure to the end of time. And a living faith will last in the midst of the blackest storm.” (Exits Gandhi.)

(D is seen trying to light the cigarette, gets frustrated, and throws both the cigarette and the lighter to the ground. Exits D.)

Your an absolutely wonderful man, any girl that is yours is lucky and I know that from personal experience. ~KMT

Well, I open my eyes and I see things. I've seen spirits moving through the walls. I've seen a vortex coming through the wall. I've seen amorphous little balls of light bouncing all around in the front yard through the window. I've seen giant bugs on the floor. I was in a hotel room in Amarillo, Texas, and all I remember is standing on the bed and seeing the whole wall in front of me filled with lights that were [makes popping sound] popping like popcorn out of the wall. Then I'll wake up and I go "Wow, I was standing on my bed and staring at this wall."

interesting gandhi fact: once his father got very ill and gandhi spent many days caring for him. one night one of his followers took over for him so he could rest and gandhi spent the free time banging his wife. that was the night his father died. gandhi was so distraught that he became celibate, going to far as to sleeping naked with his female, WHITE, followers to test his willpower and to squash his libido.

Man D talks in this ridiculously articulate speech that breaks the relation we have with him, our sympathy of him is gone because he doesn't seem bewildered and frustrated, just somewhat ticked. I'm guessing you're going for some kind of dry-humored satire, but the writing is too blunt in some places and too weak in other places that there is no clear area with which to side. Nobody wins in the end, and nobody loses, and nothing is proven right or wrong. While this could be a commentary on how debates about religion could just end up never coming to a definite end, this is a conclusion that I came to only after performing a very deep critical examination. If that is the point of the piece you should make it clear by lampshading it.